Rare Earth: Necessary for Alternative Power, But Mined Destructively

Two recent reports (below) highlight the necessity of rare earth for alternative energy production. Unfortunately the mining of these elements, mainly in China, come at a heavy environmental and human cost.

"Some of the greenest technologies of the age, from electric cars to efficient light bulbs to very large wind turbines, are made possible by an unusual group of elements called rare earths. The world’s dependence on these substances is rising fast. Just one problem: These elements come almost entirely from China, from some of the most environmentally damaging mines in the country, in an industry dominated by criminal gangs." From the New York Times, Dec. 25, 2009 (complete article)

"It doesn't look very green. Rare earth processing in China is a messy, dangerous, polluting business. It uses toxic chemicals, acids, sulfates, ammonia. The workers have little or no protection. But, without rare earth, Copenhagen means nothing. You buy a Prius hybrid car and think you're saving the planet. But each motor contains a kilo of neodymium and each battery more than 10 kilos of lanthanum, rare earth elements from China." From Lindsey Hilsum of Independent Television News shown on the PBS Newshour Dec. 14, 2009 (video and transcript of this report)

UW-Oshkosh plan to achieve carbon neutrality by 2025

UW-Oshkosh (UWO) has developed a plan to reach carbon neutrality by 2025. UWO is one of about 110 colleges to produce a Climate Action Plan as part of the American Colleges and Universities Climate Commitment, but only 5 percent of those have aimed for carbon neutrality by 2025.

UWO was one of four UW System campuses selected by Governor Jim Doyle in 2006 to work toward replacing all fossil fuels for heating and electricity, the University was able to utilize a state-funded Energy Independence Study in developing its plan.

Read more at: http://www.thenorthwestern.com/article/20091207/OSH1003/912070562

courtesy of the Oshkosh Northwestern

Fair Trade Market at UW-La Crosse

Today is the second day of the Fair Trade Market at UW-L in the Port O' Call room in Cartwright Center. It will be open until 5:30 p.m. with a wide variety of Fair Trade merchandise for sale. You can read more about it in this La Crosse Tribune online article.

Beyond Coal Article in La Crosse Tribune

Beyond coal ... winners and losers: Local utilities support efforts to reduce greenhouse gases but differ on how to do it fairly is an article that appeared in the Sunday, November 22, 2009 issue of the La Crosse Tribune newspaper. It's well worth reading to learn about coal's impact on our region and steps being taken to lessen its effect.

Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining Highlighted Nov. 13

Join UW-L Environmental Club and UW-L Progressives on November 13, 2009

Celebrate H.R. Bill 1310, the Clean Water Protection Act, which would reduce mountaintop removal coal mining.

Beehive Collective: Watch the fight against this travesty come alive as the group paints enormous, astonishing tapestries depicting the need for the end of mountaintop removal mining. (beehivecollective.org)

Friday, November 13

1:00-3:00 p.m. Port O’ Call

Film: Coal Country: Learn about the connection Wisconsin and La Crosse have to mountaintop removal in this moving documentary followed by speakers.

Friday, November 13

5:00 PM in 332 Cartwright

Green Fund Proposals to be Discussed

UW-L Green Fund (Environmental Sustainability Reserve) proposals will be discussed at the Joint Committee on Environmental Sustainability (JCES) meeting on Friday, November 6 at 10:00 a.m. in Wing Technology Center Room 126. There are seven proposals to be considered. The meeting is open to all.

350.org Video Highlights Day of Climate Action

A new video by 350.org highlights the actions taken on October 24, 2009 an international day of climate action to draw attention to the rising level of CO2 in the atmosphere linked to global warming.

October 24th: International Day of Climate Action

The organization 350.org is promoting Saturday, October 24th, as an International Day of Climate Action. According to their website, http://www.350.org, they are "calling on people around the world to organize an action on October 24 incorporating the number 350 at an iconic place in their community, and then upload a photo of their event to 350.org website."

350.org is an international campaign dedicated to building a movement to unite the world around solutions to the climate crisis—the solutions that science and justice demand. Their mission is to inspire the world to rise to the challenge of the climate crisis—to create a new sense of urgency and of possibility for our planet.

Their focus is on the number 350—as in parts per million, the level scientists have identified as the safe upper limit for CO2 in our atmosphere. But 350 is more than a number—it's a symbol of where we need to head as a planet.

Policy Innovations, a publication of the Carnegie Council, has an online article about the International Day of Climate Action you might be interested in reading.

Cap and Trade Featured at Economic Forum

The next Economic Forum, entitled “Cap & Trade – An Examination of Economics & the Environment” will feature a discussion of both the benefits and threats of The American Clean Energy and Security Act, better known as Cap & Trade. The Economic Forum is set for Tuesday, November 3rd beginning at 7:00 a.m. in the Radisson Center. Keynote speakers include Peter Taglia of Clean Wisconsin and Brian Rude of Dairyland Power Cooperative with University of Wisconsin – La Crosse Political Science Professor Joe Heim serving as moderator.

Breakfast begins at 7:00 a.m. on November 3rd with the program beginning at 7:30 a.m. and concluding by 8:45 a.m. Cost is $20 per person. To register, please fill out and return the registration form with your payment by Friday, October 30th.

Green Fund Proposal Applications Due October 30th

The Green Fund was proposed by students and passed in a student referendum in the spring of 2008 by a vote of 2222 to 275. It is a reserve funded by a $5 segregated fee levied each semester to every student. This yields about $80,000 per year.

Applications for projects funded by this money are collected and reviewed by the Joint Committee on Environmental Sustainability, then forwarded to the Student Association Apportionment Committee, and then proposed for final approval by the Student Senate.

Students, faculty, and staff are all encouraged to propose projects and funding from the Green Fund. We value innovation and cooperation. Greening UW-L is something we must do together.

To find out more go to: http://www.uwlax.edu/sustainability/html/green-fund.htm

Rally at UW-L's Coal-fired Power Plant

There will be a rally to show support for moving UW-L's coal-fired power plant to biomass for an alternative fuel source. You can read more about this issue at the Sierra Club's Moving Campuses Beyond Coal website. Please come and show your support.

Tuesday, September 29
3:00 p.m.
UW-L power plant
At the corner of Pine Street and East Avenue North on the UW-L campus.

$860,000 in Grant Funding Available for 2010 Research Projects

This comes to us via Ingrid Kelley (608.238.8276, x136), Program Manager, Focus on Energy, Environmental and Economic Research and Development Program.

Wisconsin's Focus on Energy Environmental and Economic Research and Development Program (EERD) is pleased to announce $860,000 in grant funding available for 2010 research projects that study the environmental and economic impacts of electricity and natural gas use in Wisconsin. EERD is looking for projects that study the environmental or economic impacts of:

• Renewable energy or energy efficiency initiatives
• Biomass energy production and use to offset electric generation and/or natural gas
• Climate change in Wisconsin due to electricity or natural gas use
• Impact of existing fossil fuel-fired electric power generation on PM 2.5 levels in Wisconsin

Any research organization with a project relevant to Wisconsin can apply for a grant. The EERD Research Forum will evaluate proposals and make funding recommendations. We expect to announce funded projects in January 2010.

Prospective applicants must submit an Intent to Propose form by October 8, 2009 and those invited to submit a full proposal must send it electronically by 12 p.m. on November 11, 2009. The 2010 Request for Proposals, Intent to Prose form and other information can be found on the Focus on Energy website.

Visit a Farmers Market This Summer

In the La Crosse area we are fortunate to have a number of farmers markets going strong throughout the week during the summer and early fall months. At each market you'll find a wide variety of in-season produce, flowers, plants and craft items for sale at very reasonable prices. Supporting local farmers and gardeners by buying their products brings you closer to the food you eat...and that's a good thing.

Remember to bring your reusable shopping bags or a backpack with you to take home everything that you purchase. You get bonus points for walking or riding your bike to and from the farmers market nearest you. Here's a list of farmers markets in southwest Wisconsin. Plan to check one out this week if you haven't already.

Odds For Climate Change Much Worse Than Expected

Recent research by MIT shows that the odds that severe climate change will occur before 2100 are worse than previously expected. Below are two quotes from the article:

"The most comprehensive modeling yet carried out on the likelihood of how much hotter the Earth's climate will get in this century shows that without rapid and massive action, the problem will be about twice as severe as previously estimated six years ago - and could be even worse than that."

"And the odds indicated by this modeling may actually understate the problem, because the model does not fully incorporate other positive feedbacks that can occur, for example, if increased temperatures caused a large-scale melting of permafrost in arctic regions and subsequent release of large quantities of methane, a very potent greenhouse gas. Including that feedback is just going to make it worse."

Read the full article to have a better understanding of the research and the seriousness of the predictions made from it. (source: MIT News, May 19, 2009)

UW-L Chancellor, Students Support High Speed Rail Through La Crosse

UW-La Crosse Chancellor Joe Gow spoke in support of high speed rail and more frequent passenger train service through La Crosse on May 28 at the Amtrak train station on the city’s north side. This was part of a press conference organized by Wisconsin Public Interest Research Group (WISPIRG), UW-L’s Environmental Council, and UW-L’s Green Transportation Council. Gow was flanked by students from UW-L and students from campuses with WISPIRG chapters around the state who chose La Crosse as their last stop on a 10-stop tour along the proposed high speed rail line in Wisconsin.

Touted benefits of a high speed line include reduced dependence upon foreign oil, reduced carbon emissions, less congested freeways, and making La Crosse a more viable place to live without a car. About fifty students and community members turned out for the event. To read more about the event, check out the online La Crosse Tribune article. To become involved with future efforts email Jeremy Gragert, student chair of the UW-L Green Transportation Council: gragert.jere@students.uwlax.edu. (submitted by Jeremy Gragert, photo provided by Jonathan Ringdahl)

Mountain Top Removal Mining Podcast

Here's a podcast of portions of the Mountain Top Removal Mining presentation given at UW-La Crosse on April 30th. It gives you a good overview of the devastation caused by this type of mining from people who live there.

Speakers included Sarah Vig from Appalachian Voices, Howard Branham, a resident of Mingo County West Virgina whose home was directly impacted by a mountain top removal mine and a representative from the Sierra Club's Madison, WI office. The podcast runs about 40 minutes.

Bike to Work Week, May 4-8

After a beautiful weekend for the La Crosse Fitness Festival, it's time to keep the momentum going. Plan to get your bikes out (if you haven't already) and bike to work this week. It's a great way to get some exercise, give your car a rest, save some money and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Remember to read more about all of the Bike to Work events and opportunities going on this week and log in your bike mileage at CouleeBikes.org.

Mountain Top Removal Coal Mining Presentation

Thursday, April 30th at 6:00 PM in Cartwright room 259

There will be a guest speaker from Appalachian Voices speaking about the evils of mountain top removal coal mining.

This is being organized by the Sierra Club as part of their campaign to convert all state owned coal fired power plants, all of which use coal from mountain top removal. Governor Doyle has mandated that the UW Madison coal plant will be converted from coal to natural gas and biofuels. This presentation will allow UW-L sustainability supporters to network and begin to build a case for switching over UW-L's coal power plant as well.

Earth Week in La Crosse a Success

La Crosse Earth Week events and participation in them definitely entered a new arena in 2009. Many factors making this possible came together including the creation of a new Green La Crosse.com website, an active Earth Week planning committee, and collaboration between a number of organizations in the La Crosse area including UW-La Crosse, Viterbo University, Western Technical College, Gundersen Lutheran, the City and County of La Crosse, the La Crosse Public Library, Three Rivers Waldorf School, Myrick Hixon Ecopark, and Coulee Partners for Sustainability (CPS). Our thanks to all of them for their support and involvement.

While Earth Week has been an annual milestone since 1970, the work being done to promote sustainability on our campus, as well as in our community, state, nation and world, must continue each and every day. There's no time to sit back and rest on our Earth Week accomplishments. Let's expand our sustainability efforts so that on Earth Week 2010 we can look back and marvel at all we have accomplished during another year.

Earth Day Event Focuses on Land and Water Conservation

Our Land and Water: Conservation for a Sustainable Future, sponsored by UW-L’s Joint Committee on Environmental Sustainability, will feature three area land and water conservation experts — Gretchen Benjamin, Tim Jacobson and David Vetrano —who will each give an individual presentation then participate in a panel discussion with questions and answers.

Gretchen Benjamin has spent her career on the Mississippi River working for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources for almost 25 years and recently moving into the non-profit world of The Nature Conservancy as assistant director of its Upper Mississippi River (UMR) Program. She will discuss the work of the The Nature Conservancy with respect to the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico.

Tim Jacobson is the Executive Director of Mississippi Valley Conservancy, a nonprofit land trust headquartered in La Crosse. He will discuss threats to Wisconsin’s natural landscape and agricultural lands and non-regulatory approaches to protecting and enhancing the best parts of our landscape for future generations.

David Vetrano is a fisheries supervisor for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. He is directly responsible for the fisheries on over 1500 miles of rivers and streams and several small lakes in the La Crosse area. Vetrano will provide a short history of how past agricultural land use practices have completely altered the Driftless Area landscape. He will also show how those past practices still affect us and why there is tremendous potential for a much more sustainable future for agriculture and tourism.

La Crosse Area Earth Week Events

There are a number of Earth Week events (April 19-26) planned in the La Crosse area this year. Events include film showings, presentations and panel discussions, dumpster dives, book discussions, hikes, clean-ups, bike rides and much more. You can find a complete schedule of events at http://www.greenlacrosse.com

Trowbridge Hall Wins Chancellor's Energy Challenge

UW-L's Trowbridge Hall is the winner of the 2009 Chancellor's Energy Challenge. The only other residence hall, out of the eleven participating, that was able to conserve electricity over the four week challenge period was Angell Hall. This was the first year of the Energy Challenge. Hopefully it was a valuable learning experience for all of us. The Joint Committee on Environmental Sustainability congratulates Trowbridge Hall on its victory and thanks all of the hall residents who participated in the challenge by taking steps to reduce energy consumption.

While the competition is over, the challenge is not. We must all do whatever we can to reduce energy consumption. Consider doing the following to make a difference:

1. Turn off lights when you leave a room.
2. Use energy efficient compact fluorescent light bulbs.
3. Turn off computers and other electrical devices when not in use.
4. Set up computers to take advantage of power conservation settings during the day.
   
5. Walk, bike or use public transportation whenever possible.
6. Take a shorter shower to conserve hot water.

Only with everyone working together can we help conserve energy and reduce the production of greenhouse gases. Change begins with each of us.

Chancellor's Energy Challenge Results Weeks 1&2

The results for weeks one and two of the Chancellor's Energy Challenge are in. Some residence halls are cutting back on their electrical use, while others have a ways to go to make a significant difference. This goes for everyone as well as those living in the residence halls. Remember:

1. Turn off lights you are not using and when you leave your room.
2. Use compact fluorescent light bulbs wherever possible. Learn more on this Energy Star web page.
3. Turn off your computer at night when you go to bed at night. Use the energy conservation settings on your computer to put it into sleep mode when you are not using it during the day. Learn how to make your computer more energy efficient by following the instructions at the Energy Star website.
4. And, although it does not directly save electricity in the residence halls, remember to walk or ride you bike whenever weather and road conditions permit, or use public transportation. Every little bit helps conserve energy.

La Crosse Green Initiatives Featured in Press

Articles in the La Crosse Tribune and the online component of Converge magazine both feature sustainability initiatives at the three La Crosse higher education institutions; UW-La Crosse, Viterbo University and Western Technical College. Both Matt Groshek, UW-L student and environmental sustainability director for the UW-L Student Association, and Dan Sweetman, UW-L environmental and sustainability program manager, were quoted in the article.

UW-L Transportation Committee Meeting

The next meeting of the UW-L Transportation Committee is:
Wednesday, February 25, at 1:00 p.m. in Cartwright Center room 263.

This will be a longer meeting, going until 3:00 p.m., but you can come and go as you need to. Remember that we do not have official committee members so everyone is welcome to attend at all times, and we are not an officially recognized UW-L committee.

On the agenda for Feb. 25:

1:00 p.m. – Presentation by “Community Car” founder Sonya Newenhouse, who is working with the City of La Crosse on starting a pay-by-the-hour car-sharing program with cars at various locations in central La Crosse, including UW-La Crosse. For more information visit: http://www.communitycar.com/

2:00 p.m. – Presentation by Larry Kirch from the City of La Crosse, to discuss the Transit Study underway that is partly intended to increase student ridership on the La Crosse Municipal Transit Utility (MTU) and make the system more useful to students. One item up for discussion will be the creation of a circulator bus route that targets student neighborhoods and runs frequently enough that students will not need a transit map with a timetable.


--information courtesy of Jeremy Gragert.

RecycleMania Comes to UW-La Crosse

UW-L is one of 510 colleges and universities participating in this year's RecycleMania event. The schools represent all 50 states and the District of Columbia, as well as institutions from outside the United States. Over a 10-week period from February 1 to April 11, 2009, participating schools will compete in various categories measuring the success of their recycling and waste prevention efforts.

Colleges and universities choose to participate in one of two divisions, the Competition or Benchmark. The Competition Division houses the traditional competitive rankings based on standard reporting criteria. The Benchmark Division allows schools to unofficially compare themselves with other schools and to promote RecycleMania on campus, without the formal reporting requirements of the competitive ranking. UW-La Crosse is in the competitive division this year.

The RecycleMania competition began in the spring of 2001 as a friendly challenge between recycling coordinators at two schools in Ohio, Miami University and Ohio University. From the outset, the competition was meant as a way to get students and staff more excited about participating in recycling efforts.

JCES Sponsors Webcast and Discussion on Global Warming

The UW-L Joint Committee on Environmental Sustainability will sponsor the 30-minute WebCast, Solutions for the First 100 Days, on February 5th at 6:30 p.m.

Join nationally known scholars and activists David Orr, Hunter Lovins, Betsy Taylor, Ray Anderson, Dianne Dillon-Ridgely, Jessy Tolkan, Billy Parish and Wahleah Johns as they discuss global warming solutions for the first 100 days of President Obama's new administration.

A group discussion on how each of us can be a part of the solutions, will follow the WebCast.

When: February 5th-- Introduction at 6:30 p.m., Webcast at 7:00 p.m., Discussion at 7:30 p.m.
Where: UW-L's Wing Technology Center Room 102
No charge, no advanced registration necessary
Contact: Carol Miller, Sociology/Archaeology, miller.caro@uwlax.edu, (608)785-6777.

Viterbo University Hosting Sustainability Symposium

The Viterbo University School of Letters and Sciences HUMANITIES SYMPOSIUM 2009 has a sustainability theme this year. The Good Earth: Understanding Our Relationship with Nature will be running from February 2–4, 2009 in La Crosse, Wisconsin. All events are free and open to the public.

Keynote speaker Curt Meine, Ph.D., will present “Leopold’s Land Ethic in an Age of Consequences” at 7 p.m. Feb. 2 in the Fine Arts Center Main Theatre. Meine is the director of the Center for Humans and Nature in Baraboo.

There will also be a free soup luncheon held Feb. 3-4 in the Reinhart Center Board Room on the Viterbo University campus.

You can find out more about the symposium and a schedule of events at: http://www.viterbo.edu/GoodEarth.aspx.

Chancellor's Energy Challenge Begins February 9th

The Chancellor’s Energy Challenge is a month-long competition where all UW-L residence halls will compete against each other to reduce there energy consumption. The competition will begin on February 9th and run until March 8th.

Weekly challenge updates and final results will be posted at www.uwlax.edu/sustainability. At the end of the challenge, there will be an award ceremony hosted by Chancellor Joe Gow. A tree will be planted outside the winning residence hall with a plaque indicating the winner of the 2009 Chancellor’s Energy Challenge. Individuals from any residence hall who submit a pledge at the sustainability website will be eligible to win prizes throughout the competition. Winners will be drawn randomly from the pool of submitted pledges.

For more information about the Chancellor’s Energy Challenge, contact Matt Groshek, groshek.matt@students.uwlax.edu.